Toy camp lantern light



June 17, 19416 c. D. RIEGK TOY CAMP LANTERN LIGHT Filed Jan. 27, 1941 Patented June 17, 1941 FFICE TOY CAMP LANTERN LIGHT (Jharles D. Rieck, St. Paul, Minn, assignor to Louis F. Dow Company, a. corporation of Minnesota Application January 27, 1941, Serial No. 376,068

3 Claims.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in toy camp lantern lights.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a toy camp lantern light in which a contact member is constantly engaged with the center base terminal of a light bulb while a pivotally mounted bail handle carried by the casing of the lantern is adapted when moved from a lowered to an upright carrying position to move the contact member into engagement with the center terminal of a dry battery cell for completing the circuit to the light bulb.

A further object of the invention is to provide a toy camp lantern light of the foregoing character wherein the same comprises a casing having a side wall of insulation material and housing a dry cell with a conductor member in the casing extending from a conductive side wall of the cell to the screw base of a light bulb with a contact member normally engaged with the center base terminal of the light bulb and adapted by movement of a carrying handle bail to. be moved into circuit closing position with the upper center terminal of the dry cell.

With the above and other objects in view that will become apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in general of certain novel details of construction and combination of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a toy camp lantern light constructed in accordance with the present invention, showing the carrying handle bail in its upright circuit closing position,

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing the contact member for closing the circuit from the battery cell to the light bulb held in its closed position by the inner ends of the handle bail,

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view similar to Fig. 2, showing the handle bail in its lowered position, with the contact member spaced from the upper center terminal of the battery cell.

Fig. 4 is a vertical fragmentary sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the contact member for closing the circuit from the light bulb to the battery cell, and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the conductor member between the battery cell and lamp base.

While the toy camp lantern light may be constructed in any shape desired, size and of preferred material, the same for purposes of illustration is herein disclosed as comprising a casing designated in general by the reference character it) and has a cylindrical wall H of non-conductive or insulation material, the lower open end of the cylindrical casing ii! being permanently closed by a metallic bottom wall !2, while the open upper end of the casing is closed by a removable cap I3 that includes a depending annular skirt or flange l4 overlying the upper end of the side wall ll of the casing.

A battery cell 15 of lesser diameter than the casing I6 is placed in said casing, the battery cell comprising a bottom and outer cylindrical metallic wall it with an upstanding center terminal IT.

The metallic conductor plate shown in Fig. '7 and designated in general by the reference character I8 is then placed in the casing I0 and has a side wall l9 flatly engaged with the adjacent metallic side l5 of the battery cell l5 and is maintained in engagement therewith by means of the angularly directed foot 29, the free edge of which engages the inner face of the wall I l of the casing, while the upper end of the wall [9 carries an angularly directed flange 2| overlying a foot 2E1 with an upstanding plate 22 rising from the outer end of the flange El and being flatly engaged with the wall ll of the casing. The side wall H of the casing H] has an opening therein for the passage of a light bulb, said plate 22 have an opening 23 therein registering with the opening in said Wall with the edge of said opening 23 being of spiral formation toconstitute a thread for the reception of the usual threaded base of a light bulb. To cause the opening 23 in the plate 22 of the metallic conductor l8 to register with the light bulb-receiving opening in the wall H of the casing, the upper end of the wall IQ of the conductor member has a pair of offsets 24 adjacent its upper end that move into engagement with the upper end of the battery cell 15.

The light bulb 25 has a threaded base 26 forming one terminal and a center base terminal 21, the light bulb being passed through a central opening in the dished reflector 28 with the screw base 26 threaded into the opening 23 in the upstanding plate 22 carried by the conductor member I8.

A switch contact member shown in detail in Fig. 6 and designated in general by the reference character 29 comprises a metallic plate having a vertical leg portion 30 carrying an angularly offset flange 3| at its upper end With an inverted substantially V-sh'aped hook 32 at the outer end of the flange 3! that is adapted to be received on and straddle the upper end of the annular side wall H of the lamp casing Ill in overlying relation to the light bulb 25 as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. With the switch contact member positioned as shown in Fig. 2, the leg 30 thereof is constantly engaged with the center base terminal 21 of the light bulb 25, the lower end of the leg 39 carrying a normally upwardly directed switch contact arm 33 that overlies and is normally spaced upwardly of the upper center terminal H of the battery cell E5. The conductor plate 18 is retained in its operative position by the light .bulb 25, while the switch contact member 29 is retained in its proper position by the removable closure cap i3 at the upper end of the casing in, the side flange i l of the closure cap overlying the outer portion of the hook 32 of the switch contact member.

A- handle bail 3 1 is pivotally carried by the casing l and includes a pair of sidelegs 35, the free ends of which are bent towards each other to provide pivot bearings 35 pivotally extending throughdiametrically opposite openings 3'! 'in the wall H of the casing above the battery cell l and the switch contact arm 33. The inwardly directed ends of the side legs 35 of the handle bail continue from said pivot bearings 36 with the terminal ends thereof overlapping each other and arched downwardly as at 38 for'movement into engagement with the contact switch arm 33 whenthe handle bail 34 is moved from the horizontal position shown in Fig. 3 to the vertical position shown in Fig. 2 for causing the contact switch arm 33 to move into circuit closing engagement with the upper terminal ll of the battery cell for closing the circuit to the light bulb 25. To retain the handle bail in its upright circuit-closing position, the depending flange 54 carried by the cap I3 of the casing I9 is provided with diametrically opposite outwardly projecting spaced pairs of protuberances 139 between which the opposite side legs 35 of the handle bail are positioned as shown in Fig. 2.

From the above detailed description of the invention, it is believed that the construction and use thereof will at once be apparent, and while there is herein shown and described the preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be understood that minor changes may be made in the details of construction, such as will fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. In a toy camp lantern light, a casing, a battery cell therein having a top center terminal and a conductor side wall, a light bulb and reflector mounted in the side wall of the casing above the battery cell, a conductor member interposed between the side wall of the battery cell and the threaded base of the light bulb, a switch contact member mounted in the casing in constant engagement with the center base terminal of the light bulb and normally spaced from the center terminal of the battery cell and a handle bail carried by the upper end of the casing having its inner ends overlying a portion of the switch contact member and adapted when moved from a lowered to an upright position to force the switch contact member into circuit closing engagement with the center terminal of the battery cell and wherein the casing is formed of insulation material and the conductor member includes a metallic plate having an opening in its upper end through which the lamp base is threaded and means carried by the metallic plate adapted to be engaged with the battery cell for correctly positioning the metallic plate in the casing.

2. In a toy camp lantern light, a casing, a battery cell therein having a top center terminal and a conductor side wall, a light bulb and reflector mounted in the side wall of the casing above the battery cell, a conductor member interposed between the side wall of the battery cell and the threaded base of the light bulb, a switch contact member mounted in the casing in constant engagement with the center base terminal of the light bulb and normally spaced from the center terminal of the battery cell and a handle bail carried by the upper end of the casing having its inner ends overlying a portion of the switch contact member and adapted when moved from a lowered to an upright position to force the switch contact member into circuit closing engagement with the center terminal of the battery cell and wherein the casing is formed of insulation material and the conductor member includes a metallic plate having an opening in its upper end through which the lamp base is threaded and means carried by the metallic plate adapted to be engaged with the battery cell for correctly positioning the metallic plate in the casing, the switch contact member including a resilient metallic plate supported on the upper end of the casing and a switch contact arm normally spaced above the battery cell terminal in overlying relation thereto.

3. In a toy camp lantern light, a casing, a battery cell therein having a top center terminal and a conductor side wall, a light bulb and reflector mounted in the side wall of the casing above the battery cell, a conductor member interposed between the side Wall of the battery cell and the threaded base of the light bulb, a switch contact member mounted in'the casing in constant engagement with the center base terminal of the light bulb and normally spaced from the center terminal of the battery cell and a handle bail carried by the upper end of the casing having its inner ends overlying a portion of the switch contact member and adapted when moved from a lowered to an upright position to force the switch contact member into circuit closing engagement with the center terminal of the battery cell and wherein the switch contact member includes a resilient metallic plate having an inverted channel flange at its upper end supported on the edge of the upper end of the casing, a cap on the casing having a side flange overlying the outer portion of the channel flange to retain the switch contact member in position.

' CHARLES D. RIE'CK. 

